Sneaker Pimps
Becoming X (1996)

review by: Chris Orcutt
Date: 7/13/00

When a friend of mine whose musical judgement I trusted lent this to me, I was like, Sneaker Pimps? Yeah, right, and I let it sit for a month or so. I finally listened to it and decided that was the last time I'd discount a band because of a stupid name - this is really good.

The electronic stuff I like best is a combination of programming and live instruments, and this album is a good example. The guitar player is great; he especially knows when not to play, and he's just as effective with a distorted electric guitar as he is with an acoustic. They also hit some pretty smooth grooves here, like on "6 Underground," and "Tesko Suicide" has some great arrangements. Some of my friends have initally been a little turned off by the singer's kind of child-like voice, but I think it fits the music well. And there's definitely a Gen-X-type theme running through the songs ("Don't think cause I understand/I care") and she - her name is Nellee Hooper - has kind of a cold, stand-offish attitude but, again, it fits the music well. It's good stuff pretty much all the way through, which I'm finding is rare lately. Check it out.